Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol — whose out-of-wedlock teen pregnancy proved a key distraction in the 2008 election — has sworn off premarital sex, pledging on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to remain abstinent until she ties the knot. Oprah asked whether Bristol's vow (which Bristol first made to In Touch magazine two years ago) was a "realistic" commitment, prompting speculation about Bristol's sincerity. Is Palin, 19, serious about sexlessness or just fulfilling her obligations as the new face of the Candie's Foundation, a pro-abstinence charity? (Watch Oprah interview Bristol Palin)

Bristol wants to spend time being a Mom: If you can look past the "salacious coverage" of Bristol Palin's relationship with the father of her child, says an editorial in the Cypress Times, you can see she has "learned from her mistakes." She has foresworn new relationships because she "wants nothing to interfere with her responsibilities" as a mother. If only the "disgraced" father, Levi Johnston, would do the same thing. "Bristol Palin stands up and does the right thing"

It's a business move: It's tempting to think this is Palin's attempt to "start fresh," says Jessica Grose at Slate's XX blog, but there is a more "self-interested explanation" — the PR company she founded earlier this month. Bristol's work as a Candie's Foundation spokesperson may be unpaid, but surely a "different pro-abstinence organisation" might be willing to pay "mucho dinero" for Bristol's services."Is Bristol Palin a good spokeswoman for abstinence?"